It is also marked across the Russian diaspora and in other former Soviet countries, including Ukraine, which in 2015 symbolically moved the date to May 8, when Europe remembers the day. Victory Day was first celebrated in 1965 under Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, a veteran of the war himself. I think they’re planning a long slogging war.” People pose as military vehicles drive along a street during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, I don’t think he can declare victory, either. “You can conscript all those people in Buryatia (a mountainous region in Siberia), but if you conscript Muscovites, they’ll protest. “It’s hard to do a general conscription: I think that that’s when Russians would come out and protest,” said Elizabeth Wood, professor of history at MIT. However, earlier rumours of martial law and conscription in March proved to be wrong. Some also worry that Putin may announce a mass mobilisation, calling able-bodied men into service. Instead, my fear is that Putin will use the holiday to announce a new offensive and new phase of the war.” It’s hard to see any sort of victory being declared. “Given how important Victory Day has been to Putin and Putinism, it’s hard to imagine that his government won’t try to use it for some purpose.

“Putin and his advisers certainly pay attention to historical anniversaries and like to use them to bolster their hold on power,” Norris said. Nobel-Prize-winning author Svetlana Alexievich has captured this well, by stating the history of victory replaced the history of the actual war.”Īs Victory Day approaches, some observers believe that the top brass, frustrated at the lack of progress in subduing Ukraine, will call for a push, and Putin will declare total war. It also validated the sacrifices made during the war. “Twenty-seven million Soviet citizens died during the war, and victory obviously came at a great cost. “Victory in World War II became the defining myth in post-war Soviet life, outstripping even the Revolution in its significance,” explained Stephen Norris, professor of Russian history at the University of Miami.

Keep reading list of 4 items list 1 of 4 Ukraine’s plight could be replicated in East Asia: Japanese PM list 2 of 4 UN readies third evacuation from Mariupol ‘hellscapes’ list 3 of 4 Russia-Ukraine war: What would a victory look like now to Putin? list 4 of 4 ‘Not isolated incidents’: Amnesty accuses Russia of war crimes end of listĪnd some fear that Putin will use this year’s celebratory occasion to ramp up war efforts.

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